TheAnthroGuys are giving a presentation about our core competency: Analytic Induction. Our objective is to introduce entrepreneurship students to Analytic Induction in search of opportunities to “add value“.

We will be in a lecture hall of entrepreneurship students at Fresno State. Incidentally, the name of the lecture hall is, “Pete P Peters”. As I often tell students of ethnography, reality is usually far more interesting than fiction once you start actually noticing it.

3) expand those notes into a brief report about what you found. DESCRIPTION

–Rather than looking into a completely innovative idea (service or product), the goal is to 1) observe something that already works; 2) observe it in great detail; then 3) begin to understand it in such detail that you can 4) make concrete suggestions about improving it.

Steps

–1. Find a routine, taken-for-granted task/service/product,

–2. “Hang out” and “thickly describe” it in a notebook,

–3. In a one page pitch, suggest some sort of innovation that will add value. DUE: 10/21/15 in class.

–The best observations will be published on our blog and presented in class on 10/28/15.

We will return to their class to continue this discussion. Our hope is that some – if not all – of these students will see the value of this skill set and in so doing, realize that “thinking out of the box” can be learned.

Assessment

We have included how the assignments are evaluated but the the main point is that this is NOT rocket science. Rather , it’s social science! Applied systematically, humans’ natural observational skills can notice things that are typically ignored. With some analysis, suggestions can be made to improve lives, products, profit margins, whatever.

If you have further questions about the assignment or the course, feel free to contact us at: jmullooly@csufrenso.edu

We will be in a lecture hall of entrepreneurship students at Fresno State. Incidentally, the name of the lecture hall is, “Pete P Peters”. As I often tell students of ethnography, reality is usually far more interesting than fiction once you start actually noticing it.

3) expand those notes into a brief report about what you found. DESCRIPTION

–Rather than looking into a completely innovative idea (service or product), the goal is to 1) observe something that already works; 2) observe it in great detail; then 3) begin to understand it in such detail that you can 4) make concrete suggestions about improving it.

Steps

–1. Find a routine, taken-for-granted task/service/product,

–2. “Hang out” and “thickly describe” it in a notebook,

–3. In a one page pitch, suggest some sort of innovation that will add value. DUE: next Wednesday March 18th in class.

–The best observations will be published on our blog and presented in class on March 25th.

We will return to their class to continue this discussion. Our hope is that some – if not all – of these students will see the value of this skill set and in so doing, realize that “thinking out of the box” can be learned.

Assessment

We have included how the assignments are evaluated but the the main point is that this is NOT rocket science. Rather , it’s social science! Applied systematically, humans’ natural observational skills can notice things that are typically ignored. With some analysis, suggestions can be made to improve lives, products, profit margins, whatever.

If you have further questions about the assignment or the course, feel free to contact us at: jmullooly@csufrenso.edu

We will be in a lecture hall of entrepreneurship students at Fresno State. Incidentally, the name of the lecture hall is, “Pete P Peters”. As I often tell students of ethnography, reality is usually far more interesting than fiction once you start actually noticing it.

3) expand those notes into a brief report about what you found. DESCRIPTION

–Rather than looking into a completely innovative idea (service or product), the goal is to 1) observe something that already works; 2) observe it in great detail; then 3) begin to understand it in such detail that you can 4) make concrete suggestions about improving it.

Steps

–1. Find a routine, taken-for-granted task/service/product,

–2. “Hang out” and “thickly describe” it in a notebook,

–3. In a one page pitch, suggest some sort of innovation that will add value. DUE: next Wednesday March 19th by 3:00pm in class.

–The best observations will be published on our blog and presented in class on March 26th.

We will return to their class to continue this discussion. Our hope is that some – if not all – of these students will see the value of this skill set and in so doing, realize that “thinking out of the box” can be learned.

Assessment

We have included how the assignments are evaluated but the the main point is that this is NOT rocket science. Rather , it’s social science! Applied systematically, humans’ natural observational skills can notice things that are typically ignored. With some analysis, suggestions can be made to improve lives, products, profit margins, whatever.

If you have further questions about the assignment or the course, feel free to contact us at: jmullooly@csufrenso.edu

This afternoon TheAnthroGuys are giving a presentation about our core competency: Analytic Induction. Our objective is to introduce entrepreneurship students to Analytic Induction in search of opportunities to “add value“.

We will be in a lecture hall of entrepreneurship students at Fresno State. Incidentally, the name of the lecture hall is, “Pete P Peters”. As I often tell students of ethnography, reality is usually far more interesting than fiction once you start actually noticing it.

Ethnographers and entrepreneurs share a reliance on inductive skills to accomplish their goals. Once this is understood, we can learn a great deal from each other.

3) expand those notes into a brief report about what you found. DESCRIPTION

–Rather than looking into a completely innovative idea (service or product), the goal is to 1) observe something that already works; 2) observe it in great detail; then 3) begin to understand it in such detail that you can 4) make concrete suggestions about improving it.

Steps

–1. Find a routine, taken-for-granted task/service/product,

–2. “Hang out” and “thickly describe” it in a notebook,

–3. In a one page pitch, suggest some sort of innovation that will add value. DUE: next Wednesday October 17th by 3:00pm in class.

–The best observations will be published on our blog and presented in class on October 24th.

We will return to their class to continue this discussion. Our hope is that some – if not all – of these students will see the value of this skill set and in so doing, realize that “thinking out of the box” can be learned.

Assessment

We have included how the assignments are evaluated but the the main point is that this is NOT rocket science. Rather , it’s social science! Applied systematically, humans’ natural observational skills can notice things that are typically ignored. With some analysis, suggestions can be made to improve lives, products, profit margins, whatever.

If you have further questions about the assignment or the course, feel free to contact us at: jmullooly@csufrenso.edu

]]>https://theanthroguys.org/2012/10/10/ethnographic-opportunity-analysis-3/feed/00.000000 0.0000000.0000000.000000TheAnthroGeekIMG_0286Campus IT Plans and Ethnographic Researchhttps://theanthroguys.org/2012/06/06/campus-it-plans-and-ethnographic-research/
https://theanthroguys.org/2012/06/06/campus-it-plans-and-ethnographic-research/#respondWed, 06 Jun 2012 19:26:11 +0000http://theanthroguys.com/?p=812]]>Here we go again! A few years ago, we (with our students) conducted an ambitious ethnographic research project on student life at Fresno State, with a focus on informing library services. The Library Study ended up as a major statement about student life on campus at the time (2009). Three years later, we’re embarking on another ethnographic study of students on our campus, this time focused on student IT use. The study was inspired by some recent research by anthropologists at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. That study caught the eye of our VP for Administration, Cindy Matson, who also happens to be TheAnthroGeek’s student in the doctoral program in educational leadership here. Seeing an opportunity to inform looming decisions about how to invest scarce IT resources with data about actual student behaviors and attitudes, Ms. Matson asked us if we could do something similar to the Milwaukee study. Just a few months later, we have the skeleton of a research plan and we’re meeting with various campus stakeholders to nail down the details. The study launches this fall.

The way it’s brewing right now, mobile computing will be a major concern of the study. Our campus is developing its approach to web presence, social media, data storage, software access and mobile apps, among other issues. What do existing student practices tell us about the demand for proprietary Fresno State mobile apps? Does the virtualization of software access make sense for student users? What do students take away from Fresno State’s existing social media efforts? What do they want to take away? Stay tuned for updates on how the study evolves and what we find!

]]>https://theanthroguys.org/2012/06/06/campus-it-plans-and-ethnographic-research/feed/0anthroguyEthnographic Opportunity Analysis Part IIhttps://theanthroguys.org/2012/03/23/ethnographic-opportunity-analysis-part-ii/
https://theanthroguys.org/2012/03/23/ethnographic-opportunity-analysis-part-ii/#respondFri, 23 Mar 2012 08:50:54 +0000http://theanthroguys.com/?p=792]]>TheAnthroGuys returned to Entrep 81 with good news: We found that many students got the idea we were trying to describe.

We have included below how the assignments were graded but the the main point is that this is NOT rocket science. Rather , it’s social science! Applied systematically, humans’ natural observational skills can notice things that are typically ignored. With some analysis, suggestions can be made to improve lives, products, profit margins, whatever.

It is importnat to note that the similarities between anthropologists and entrepreneurs are numerous. The table below illustrates this point:

Anthropologists

Entrepreneurs

Application

Trained to think holistically

Intuitively holistic

visionary, iconoclastic

Take an evolutionary approach

Forward-looking

know future demands

Seek the insider perspective

Intuitively know consumers wants

know when something will have value to others

Trained to be inductive

Intuitively inductive

keen observers, see openings

For those wishing to continue on this path, you have the opportunity to take our ethnographic methods class (Anth 111, Delcore & Mullooly) in place of ENTR 151 in the Fall 2012 semester.

Fall 2012 Anth 111 will be offered on Tuesdays 6-9pm.

If you have further questions about the assignment or the course, feel free to contact us at: jmullooly@csufrenso.edu

We will be in a lecture hall of entrepreneurship students at Fresno State. Incidentally, the name of the lecture hall is, “Pete P Peters”. As I often tell students of ethnography, reality is usually far more interesting than fiction once you start actually noticing it.

Ethnographers and entrepreneurs share a reliance on inductive skills to accomplish their goals. Once this is understood, we can learn a great deal from each other.

In a few weeks, we will return to their class to continue this discussion. Our hope is that some – if not all – of these students will see the value of this skill set and in so doing, realize that “thinking out of the box” can be learned.

]]>https://theanthroguys.org/2012/03/07/ethnographic-opportunity-analysis-2/feed/00.000000 0.0000000.0000000.000000TheAnthroGeekIMG_0286TheAnthroGuys on The Pulsehttps://theanthroguys.org/2012/01/28/theanthroguys-on-the-pulse/
https://theanthroguys.org/2012/01/28/theanthroguys-on-the-pulse/#respondSat, 28 Jan 2012 17:20:04 +0000http://theanthroguys.com/?p=765]]>TheAnthroGuys were recently invited to the The Pulse. Hosted by Timothy Stearns and Tammy Sears

The Pulse is a show about innovators and entrepreneurs who are reshaping the Central Valley….Join us each week as we take the innovative “pulse” of the region.

This week on The Pulse, the AnthroGuy and AnthroGeek, join us in a free form and rather chaotic discussion on ways to foster more innovation in Fresno and the Central Valley. Based on their cumulative work as Professors of Anthropology, Hank Delcore and Jim Mullooly identify several key features of innovation and how the community can expand and develop more. What are some of the most innovative events in Fresno? Find out by tuning in and treat yourself to some fun!

During the show, we mentioned a number of websites that we have listed below:

At these sites, you will find many innovative a fun ways to get involved in “The Pulse” of Fresno!

We will be in a lecture hall of entrepreneurship students at Fresno State. Incidentally, the name of the lecture hall is, “Pete P Peters”. As I often tell students of ethnography, reality is usually far more interesting than fiction once you start actually noticing it.

Ethnographers and entrepreneurs share a reliance on inductive skills to accomplish their goals. Once this is understood, we can learn a great deal from each other.

In a few weeks, we will return to their class to continue this discussion. Our hope is that some – if not all – of these students will see the value of this skill set and in so doing, realize that “thinking out of the box” can be learned.

]]>https://theanthroguys.org/2011/03/07/ethnographic-opportunity-analysis-201/feed/50.000000 0.0000000.0000000.000000TheAnthroGeekIMG_0286Fulton Mall’s Perception Problemhttps://theanthroguys.org/2011/01/06/fulton-malls-perception-problem/
https://theanthroguys.org/2011/01/06/fulton-malls-perception-problem/#commentsFri, 07 Jan 2011 01:13:13 +0000http://theanthroguys.com/?p=730]]>Have you ever heard someone say, “No one goes to the Fulton Mall”? Well, the data is in, and we can finally lay that one to rest.

For three days in October, my students and I counted and surveyed pedestrians on Fulton Mall. Funded by the Downtown Association of Fresno (now PBID Partners of Downtown Fresno), the research sought to set a baseline of data about Fulton Mall pedestrian use so we can accurately measure the impact of any future urban design efforts in downtown.

I present some of the data below, but the biggest story is the extent to which the Fresno public radically underestimates the number of people who walk on Fulton Mall. Whatever else is wrong with the Mall, we can say this for sure: there are far more Mall users than we think.

Here’s a summary of the count data:

The number of pedestrians who passed the Clock Tower at the intersection of Fulton and Mariposa Malls between 10am and 6pm each day on Oct. 5 (Tuesday), 6 (Wednesday) and 9 (Saturday) were 4516, 5228 and 4671, respectively. (This was a study of use or load, so we counted passersby without regard to repeat trips; in other words, everyone was counted, even if they passed multiple times. The counters estimate that about 5% of the passersby made repeat passes.) Bicyclists numbered 143, 262 and 309 (Saturday’s number was buoyed by the DTA’s Bike Ride Through History event, which accounted for about 100 of the bicyclists that day).

I should note that the first week in October was chilly and rainy. On Tuesday, Oct. 5, for example, it rained lightly all morning and temperatures were in the mid-50s. Yet, 1048 people walked past the Clock Tower, in the rain, between 10am and 12 noon.

Count numbers peaked slightly around midday. For example, 929 people walked past the count line between noon and 1pm on Wednesday, Oct. 6, compared to 674 from 10-11am and 324 from 5-6pm.

Why were the weekdays so strong compared to Saturday, a well-known shopping day on the Mall? Wednesday’s pedestrian count was surely boosted by the farmer’s market, which drew people all morning and into early afternoon. However, a broader explanation lies in the “purpose of visit” question on the survey we administered to every tenth passerby. Shoppers are strongly present on the Mall during the week (27% of pedestrians on Tuesday, Oct. 5, and 33% on Wednesday, Oct. 6, were shoppers). These shoppers, in combination with people walking to and from work and conducting personal business (likely at the various public buildings) account for the high numbers during the week. On Saturday, the percentage of shoppers among the respondents increased to 52%, but work commute and personal business numbers dropped. This means that the Mall during the week is a place for shopping, work commute and personal business, but on Saturday, it become more homogenous, with shopping as the main activity and other categories of use less prevalent.

We surveyed, in both English and Spanish, 157 people who passed the count line. A summary of some significant findings is at the end of this posting.

The big story here, though, is the gap between the count numbers and public perception.

During the weeks after the count, DTA sponsored a “Guess the Pedestrians” contest in which the public was invited to guess the number of pedestrians who passed the Clock Tower during the count periods, with the closest guessers for each day awarded gift certificates to downtown businesses. Seventy five people submitted guesses for the three count days. The results are listed below.

Average guess: 1041

Median guess: 625

Lowest daily guess (submitted for Oct. 6): 55

Highest daily guess (submitted for Oct. 5): 7000

Obviously, the guessers vastly underestimated the number of pedestrians on the Mall, by an order of eight for the median guess and nearly one hundred for the low guess. The person who offered 7000 for Oct. 5 also guessed a relatively high 6500 for Oct. 6. These were the only guesses that over-estimated the number of pedestrians. Interestingly, however, this guesser estimated pedestrians on Saturday, Oct. 9, at only 600, implying that even this optimistic weekday guesser was very pessimistic about pedestrian activity on the Mall on weekends.

Evaluating the “success” or “failure” of the Fulton Mall is a complex thing, involving issues like rate of economic activity, amount of city revenue generated by Mall businesses, and the Mall’s historical and aesthetic value. These issues are up for debate, but, make no mistake about the numbers: each day, over four or five thousand people walk the Fulton Mall.

Fulton Mall at the Clock Tower, Tuesday, Oct. 5, 11:30am

Fulton Mall at the Clock Tower, Tuesday, Oct. 5, 3:15pm

Survey Results:

General

About one third of the respondents had homes in the three zip codes that include the downtown core and the neighborhoods just to its south and east.

About one third of those surveyed were walking on Fulton Mall for the first time. Two thirds had visited the Mall five or fewer times in the last month. Almost one fifth reported that they visited the Mall daily.

Over one third of respondents cited “shopping/doing errands” as their primary purpose on the Mall the day they were surveyed.

The Mall during the week is a place for shopping, work commute and personal business, but on Saturday, it becomes more homogenous, with shopping as the main activity and other categories of use less prevalent.

Whites and Asians were present on the Mall in fewer numbers and African Americans and Latinos in greater numbers than their presence in the Fresno County population.

Significant Differences

Individuals from zip codes with higher percentages of the population living in poverty are less likely to be first time visitors in the survey, i.e. more likely to indicate that they visit the Fulton Mall more frequently.

Individuals whose home zip codes have a median family income less than $24000 have the highest predicted probabilities across the most frequent visit categories as compared to other median income values.

Non-Latinos are more likely to utilize the Fulton Mall for work/school/commute purposes.

Individuals from higher income areas are less likely to visit the Fulton Mall for recreational purposes, for personal business, or to shop, and more likely to visit the Mall for work.

Individuals from poorer areas are more likely to shop and use the Fulton Mall for personal purposes.